Culture is simply defined as the way of life of a people. Cultural diversity is about appreciating that society is made up of many different groups with different interests, skills, talents and needs.
It also means that one recognises that people in a society can have different religious beliefs and world views.
The culture of Nigeria is shaped by the country’s multiple ethnic groups. The country has over 521 languages and over 1,150 dialects and ethnic groups. The four largest ethnic groups are the Hausa and Fulani, who are predominant in the North; the Igbo, who are predominantly in the South-East and the Yoruba, who are predominant in the South-West.
The Edo people are predominant in the region between Yoruba and Igbo land. Much of the Edo tends to be Christian. This group is followed by the Ibibio/Annang Efik people of the coastal South-South and the Ijaw of the Niger Delta. The remaining groups, sometimes called minorities, are found all over the country, but especially in the middle belt and north.
The Fulani, who are traditionally nomadic, are spread all over West and Central Africa and are predominantly Muslim. The Hausa are also predominantly Muslim, while the Igbo are predominantly Christian. The Efik Ibibio Annong people are mainly Christian. The Yoruba have a balance among adherents of Islam, the Christian and indigenous faiths.
In the area of language, the country’s official language is English, while many people also speak the Nigerian pidgin English.
All the ethnic groups also have their local languages.
Since it is known that culture is a way of life of a people, and these include dressing, music, songs, etc, the Nigerian culture has, for a while now, been dominating the global culture.
Since the 1990s, the Nigerian movie industry, popularly called ‘Nollywood,’ has emerged as a fast growing cultural force on the continent.
Having said this, however, the Nigerian culture is having to contend with the global culture on the world stage.
Nigerian movies, music, fashion, among others are competing with their counterparts across the world and everybody has come to see the value in the culture.
It is, therefore, high time Nigerians took advantage of this global acceptance of its culture to develop the country.
Though Nigerians may not consciously appreciate their culture as viable tool of development, it is important for cultural scholars to work out ways through which the country can benefit from the waves the Nigerian culture is riding on the global scene at the moment.
It has been observed that Nigerians have not demonstrated enough capacities to integrate the resurgence of the culture on the world stage for the projection and development of the country,. For example, Nigerians can use the Nollywood and music to project a country whose citizens are hardworking and innovative, thereby debunking the age-long notion that the country is corrupt.
- Oikeh is of the National Museum, Owo.
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